crank

The definition of crank is owned by or resulting from a grouchy or irrational person.

An example of crank used as an adjective is in the phrase "crank call," which means a phone call from a prankster.

noun

Crank is defined as a handle or a bent arm which is used to make a motor or machine rotate, or a crank is an informal term for a grouchy person.

An example of a crank is the handle you turn to churn ice cream on an old-fashioned ice cream freezer.

An example of a crank is a person who is constantly complaining.

verb

Crank means to start or operate something by turning a handle, or is slang for turning up the volume.

An example of crank is to turn the handle on an ice cream maker.

An example of crank is to turn the sound on a stereo system, to crank up the volume.

crank

a handle or arm bent at right angles and connected to a shaft of a machine, used to transmit motion or to change rotary motion into reciprocating motion, or vice versa

Informal

a person who has odd, stubborn notions about something; eccentric

an irritable, complaining person; cranky person

Archaic a bend or turn

Rare

a fanciful or unusual turn of speech or thought; conceit

a strange or fantastic action or idea; whim; caprice

Origin of crank

Middle English from Old English cranc-, as in crancstæf, yarn comb, cringe, crinkle: basic sense “something twisted”: for Indo-European base see cradle

to form into the shape of a crank

to start or operate by means of a crank

Rare to provide with a crank

to turn a crank, as in starting an engine or operating a device

Obs. to wind and twist; zigzag

crank Idioms

crank out

Informal to produce at a steady and prolific rate: used to suggest automatic or machinelike production: an author who cranks out bestsellers

crank up

Informal

to get started

to increase, esp. to a high level, the loudness, speed, etc. of: to crank up the volume on a stereo

Naut. cranky (sense )

loose and shaky: said of machinery

Origin of crank

earlier crank sided from Dutch or Frisian krengd, laid over ( from krengan, to push over, literally , make cringe; akin to cringe): assimilated in form to crank

Now Dial. high-spirited; lively

self-confident in a swaggering way

Origin of crank

Late Middle English cranke from uncertain or unknown; perhaps

crank

noun

A device for transmitting rotary motion, consisting of a handle or arm attached at right angles to a shaft.

A clever turn of speech; a verbal conceit: quips and cranks.

A peculiar or eccentric idea or action.

Informal

a. A grouchy person.

b. An eccentric person, especially one who is unduly zealous.

Slang Methamphetamine.

verb

cranked, crank·ing, cranks

verb

transitive

a. To start or operate (an engine, for example) by or as if by turning a handle.

b. To move or operate (a window, for example) by or as if by turning a handle.

To make into the shape of a crank; bend.

To provide with a handle that is used in turning.

verb

intransitive

To turn a handle.

To wind in a zigzagging course.

adjective

Of, being, or produced by an eccentric person: a crank letter; a crank phone call.

Phrasal Verbs: crank out To produce, especially mechanically and rapidly: cranks out memo after memo.crank up To cause to start or get started as if by turning a crank: cranked up a massive publicity campaign. To cause to intensify, as in volume or force: cranks up the sound on the stereo.

Origin of crank

Middle English from Old English cranc- ( as incrancstæfweaving implement )

A bent piece of an axle or shaft, or an attached arm perpendicular, or nearly so, to the end of a shaft or wheel, used to impart a rotation to a wheel or other mechanical device; also used to change circular into reciprocating motion, or reciprocating into circular motion.

Sentence Examples

Katie turned the crank at the base of the bed.

When the link forms part of a mechanism the respective accelerations of two points in the link can be determined by means of the velocity and acceleration diagrams described in 82, it being understood that the motion of one link in the mechanism is prescribed, for instance, in the steam-engines mechanism that the crank shall revolve uniformly.

Moves with uniform velocity, so that if a is its angular velocit and r its radius, the acceleration is ar in a direction along the cran arm from the crank pin to the centre of the shaft.

L3ennett3 which is as follows: Let OK be the crank and KB the connecting rod.

Then, the crank standing at any angle with the line of stroke, draw LP at right angles to the connecting rod, PN at right angles to the line of stroke OB and NA at right angles to the connecting rod; then AO is the acceleration of the point B to the scale on which KO represents the acceleration of the point K.